Congratulations to Partner John Paterniti and his team for securing a unanimous defense verdict in a medical malpractice action where plaintiff asserted that our clients – an urgent care practice and family medicine physician – failed to properly assess and manage plaintiff’s flu-like illness and failed to diagnose pneumonia and sepsis. The day after being seen by the defendants, plaintiff presented to a local hospital in septic shock and was found to have Group A Strep pneumonia. She rapidly deteriorated, fell into a coma and remained in the ICU for over a month. Over the course of what was a nearly two-month long hospital admission, she experienced multiple complications including suffering a stroke, placement of a trach and amputations of several toes.
With the assistance of top medical experts in the fields of Infectious Disease and Emergency Medicine, John was able to demonstrate to the jury that our client provided appropriate care and that plaintiff in fact developed the virulent bacterial infection only after she had been seen at the urgent care facility. By unanimous vote, the jury found no departures from the standard of care.